Author Archives: woodshopcowboy

Home #Makerspace: DIY Air Hockey Table for Under $40

This is a scaled down, fun-filled air hockey table is a perfect summer project. Two employees of Brunswick Billiards Co invented Air Hockey in the 1960s.  The game field consists of a low-friction (usually by means of an air blower creating an air cushion under the puck) playing field with two goals.  Each player hasContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: DIY Air Hockey Table for Under $40”

Home #Makerspace: Paper Airplane Launcher

Here’s a quick project to cut out on the scroll saw.  Scroll saws are small, cheap, versatile tools that can cut through all sorts of thin materials, such as plastics, wood, plywood and cardboard.  They have a very, very low risk factor for younger makers too.  If you don’t have access to a scroll saw,Continue reading “Home #Makerspace: Paper Airplane Launcher”

Home #Makerspace: The DIY Folding Board

Some things are impossible, such as unicorns, bipartisan agreement on the greatness of bacon and getting small boys to fold their clothes.  While I didn’t do the impossible this week, I certainly made it easier to master. A folding board is a cool little device that helps you fold clothes quickly.  This is great forContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: The DIY Folding Board”

Home #Makerspace: A DIY Carrom or Marbles Game Board!

This week, we built a game board which you can customize to play marbles, skittles, carrom, billiards, pool, shuffleboard, crokinole and more! My game board features two games, marbles and carrom.  Marbles has been played for thousands of years in various forms.  Carrom is a “strike and pocket” game that evolved in East India.  BothContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: A DIY Carrom or Marbles Game Board!”

#MakerEd in the Classroom: Exploring #3DPrinting FAQs & Resources

This week I will answer some of the most common questions about 3D printing I get asked as a Maker Educator by administrators and classroom teachers.  Last summer, I published a similar guide for the Home #Makerspace!

This Week in the Shop: The DIY Pinball Arcade in Plywood, Router Tables & The One-Bit Box

Catch a sneak peek at a future Home #Makerspace project & a new Woodworking Class at Nova Labs this week!

Home #Makerspace: DIY Drain Pipe Regatta (or Rain Gutter Regatta)

On a hot summer day, nothing beats a cool, breezy scientific adventure.  The Drain Pipe Regatta is a great investment for a classroom or backyard exploring space, as it helps teach the basics of fluid dynamics, buoyancy, motion and transfer of power.  Connections to the great sailing ages in history, from the Polynesians exploring theContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: DIY Drain Pipe Regatta (or Rain Gutter Regatta)”

Tool Primer: Understanding Common Glues for #Maker Project

Sooner or later during a Maker project, you have to stick it together.  You need glue.  Better yet, you need the right glue.   Some glues are formulated to work best porous materials such as paper, wood, or leather.  Some are made to work between two different substrates, say plastic and metals.  Some are madeContinue reading “Tool Primer: Understanding Common Glues for #Maker Project”

Home #Makerspace: DIY Knock Hockey Set

When the ice melts from the first burst of spring, the hockey fun doesn’t have to stop. Take hockey inside with DIY Nok Hockey, a wood table-top game which makes for hours and hours of fun.